


The Same Roof

by Jadesfire



Category: Jessica Jones (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Christmas, Families of Choice, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-17 03:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13068144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadesfire/pseuds/Jadesfire
Summary: Christmas is always Christmas. It's always the same, and it's always different.





	The Same Roof

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Beguile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beguile/gifts).



_The bonds that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof._  
Richard Bach

"They're gone, you can come out now."

Jessica looked up from behind the book she'd been sort-of reading. Well. Possibly just hiding behind. "Do I have to?" Then she actually looked at the other girl properly. "Are you kidding me?"

Rolling her eyes, Patsy kicked the door shut. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

"You can't hide in here. I don't want that whackjob banging on my door in ten minutes time when she can't find you."

"Considering I just got you out of having to wear one of these and pose for a TV listings magazine, I think you owe me ten minutes of peace." Patsy grabbed the hem of the awful Christmas sweater and yanked it off over her head, dislodging the tinsel that had been tied around her pigtails.

Jessica eyed the sweater as Patsy dropped it on the floor, then sat down on it. "We could set fire to it too, if you want."

"She'd only find a worse one for next year." Tipping her head back against the door, Patsy closed her eyes. "Merry Christmas to us, I guess."

While she'd had to go downstairs for food, Jessica had been more or less living in her room since the start of December, when a team of interior decorators had arrived to turn the inside of the Walker residence into a Christmas Wonderland, according to Dorothy. To Jessica, it looked more like a bomb had gone off in the decorations aisle at Walmart.

"You're going to have to at least show up for Christmas dinner. You know that, right?" Patsy still had her eyes closed, and Jessica could see the dark circles under the pancake make-up.

"Sure. I promise to be a ray of sunshine for it," she deadpanned. 

That got Patsy to lift her head, opening her eyes and giving Jessica a suspiciously delighted grin, as though the prospect of Jessica spoiling Dorothy's day was the best Christmas present she could possibly be given. 

"I'll hold you to that," she said, and despite herself, Jessica grinned back.

~~~

The apartment was pretty crappy, but it was still better than Jessica's. They'd agreed no presents, as neither of them really had the money for it right now. The legal battle with Dorothy was ongoing, and Jessica had been given the traditional holiday present of two weeks' notice.

Still, it hadn't felt right to turn up empty-handed.

"Thanks," Patsy said, staring at her. "You shouldn't have."

"Oh, shut up. Like a full-size one would have fitted." Jessica shoved the tiny plastic Christmas tree into Patsy's hands and pushed past her into the apartment. "And I brought booze as well. What more do you want?"

Behind here, there was a sigh. "You know, I'm not sure. And I guess I knew what to expect."

"A merry Christmas." Jessica put the bag down on the table - just about big enough for two plus a serving dish - and pulled out the two bottles. "The merrier the better."

She turned, showing them off to Patsy, who was leaning against the doorframe, still holding the Christmas tree, and apparently undecided between exasperated and amused. Jessica got that from her a lot. 

"I'll drink to that," she said. "Let's eat."

It took until after half a pot roast and three glasses of the wine for Patsy to get to the point. She'd been on edge all through dinner, which Jessica had put down to the general mood of the season. Neither of them were exactly Christmas people, memories being too awful or too painful to talk about. Still, it was a surprise when instead of bringing out dessert, Patsy disappeared into the bedroom and came back with a small box, just a few inches square.

"I thought we said no presents," Jessica said, eyeing it suspiciously. It wasn't wrapped, but that could just be a trick.

"It's not a present for you, it's a present for me." Taking a deep breath, and another long gulp from her wine glass, Patsy nodded at the box. "Open it."

Still not sure what she was getting into, Jessica did so. Inside was a stack of business cards, neat and professional-looking. They read "Trish Walker" and had a phone number and new email address underneath. 

"I met with an agent last week." Patsy - Trish - said. "There are some good opportunities in the talk show world right now. And it's not like I'm qualified to do anything else."

"Talk show?" Looking down at them, Jessica tried the name out again inside her head. _Trish Walker_. It sounded good. 

"On the radio. Just a weekly slot for now, but we'll see what happens. What do you think?" 

Hearing the nervousness in the words, Jessica looked up, suddenly aware that her surprise probably hadn't looked good from the outside. 

"I think you're nuts," she said, shrugging. "But if you want to go out there and talk to all the people crazy enough to call a radio talk show, then I guess that's your right." She saw the relief, and knew it had been the right answer. Trying not to smile, she picked up her wine glass and held it out for a toast. "Congratulations. And Merry Christmas. Trish."

~~~

"Can I just check?" Jessica said, turning in a slow circle. "You actually live here, right? There's not you and, like, a cast of thousands."

"Glad you like it." Trish was messing around with an oven that looked more complicated than Jessica's phone. 

"And you actually paid for all these decorations? You weren't forced to take them at gunpoint or anything. Because that's actually a crime where I'd be prepared to intervene."

Still with her back turned, Trish shook her head. "If you only came here to insult my apartment, you can head on back to Hell's Kitchen. You get the heating sorted yet?"

"No," Jessica said, tucking her hands in her jacket pockets. It wasn't for warmth. She was just a bit worried about accidentally touching something and bringing everything down like a row of dominoes. From nativity scene, to Santa's grotto, to Santa's _workshop_ , to the tinsel draped over everything including the light fittings, it looked like Trish had gone on Amazon, typed in "Christmas" and hit "order everything."

On the other hand, whatever she was cooking in that complicated oven smelt amazing, so Jessica could probably live with the overreaction.

Still with her hands firmly in her pockets, she made her way carefully into the kitchen, looking over Trish's shoulder, and shrugging when their eyes met in their reflections on the door.

"So," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Does this thing get cable?"

~~~

_Beep_

_Jessica? It's Trish. Look, I know you've got stuff going on right now, but it's been weeks, so I just wanted to check if you were okay, and if you wanted to come over for Christmas. It'd just be the two of us, I promise. I mean, if you want to bring your boyfriend too, that's fine, but I thought it would be nice for us to catch up. It feels like I don't see you any more. And don't tell me it's all the Christmas adverts getting to me. I like our Christmases. And I miss you._

_Call me if you get this, okay? Just. Call me._

_Beep_

~~~

"You know, last night, I had a conversation with a guy who could smell what I had for breakfast, and yet, somehow, you still manage to be the weirdest person I know."

"Ditto," Trish turned just enough to give Jessica an unimpressed look over her shoulder before turning back to what she'd been doing. "Do you think it needs more tinsel?"

"Sure. There are still some branches that don't look like a unicorn sneezed on them." Dropping her head back against the couch cushion, Jessica stared at the ceiling. "Who's going to see it except you anyway?"

"Even if it was just me, can't I have nice things?" There was some more rustling that Jessica assumed was yet more tinsel being added to the poor, overloaded Christmas tree. "Anyway, it's not just me. You're here."

"Ran out of vodka." It was an automatic reply that she knew Trish would recognize as such.

"And the team from the studio is coming round on Boxing Day. My way of saying thank you for working."

"I thought that was what paychecks were for." When Trish didn't rise to that, Jessica sighed. "I still say you're weird for wanting to work on Christmas Day."

"Why, because of all the happy memories I could be reliving?"

It was sort of comforting that Trish could still land a punch when she wanted to. "Hardly," Jessica said, trying not to wince. "But who's going to call a radio station on Christmas Day? Crazy people, that's who."

"Lonely people. People who don't have anyone else to talk to."

Snorting, Jessica turned over on the sofa, resting her head on her hand to watch Trish try to squeeze the last few decorations on the tree. "I could call too, if it would help. Fill the airwaves for a few minutes."

"Not if you still want access to my liquor cabinet, you won't." Trish hadn't turned around, but Jessica could hear her smiling, as well as the slightly nervous undercurrent that Jessica would actually do it. Which she totally would, but might choose not to. Because she was nice like that.

"There." Trish sat back on her heels, looking up at the tree. The star on the top was a bit wonky, as it was pressed against the ceiling, and there were at least three strings of lights in different colors, as well as what Jessica was fairly sure was Trish's own body weight in ornaments.

"That's a helluva thing," Jessica said, trying to work out if she was impressed, terrified, or going to burst out laughing.

"I should think so." Not getting up, Trish turned around, settling herself more comfortably on the floor and reaching out. Obediently, Jessica leaned over, grabbed the glass of eggnog from the table and put it into Trish's waggling fingers. "My tree, my rules."

"Damn straight." Jessica picked up her own eggnog, taking a long swig. Only once she put her glass down again did she notice that Trish still had her glass raised, holding it close enough for chinking together.

She rolled her eyes, but was still smiling, so that was something. "Cheers," she said, and then eyed her glass warily. "Did you add anything to this?"

"Only to mine," Jessica said, lying back down on the couch, grinning as Trish took a sip and choked, just a little. "Oh, and to the bowl as well."

"I really never learn, do I?" Trish said, once she could speak again. 

"You really don't."

"Remind me why I invite you over again?"

She really had added quite a lot of the bottle to the eggnog, and then more to her glass, which was just enough for a pleasant buzz. Shrugging, Jessica downed the rest. "You tell me."

"Don't say things like that unless you actually want the answer."

When she turned to look at her, Trish was cradling her glass in both hands, a familiar, pensive expression on her face.

"Yeah," Jessica said, something tightening around her heart. "Good point."

That got her the smallest of smiles, rueful and knowing. With a toasting gesture, Trish finished her own drink. "Merry Christmas, Jessica."


End file.
